You Found Me
by Hello Witty
Summary: It was a time when Kings, Princes, and Dukes reigned. He was the Duke's son; the direct heir to the throne. She was the daughter of a Lord; trained in the way of the sword young as she was. He's indecisive. She has a duty. Will fate be kind?
1. Chapter 1

**You Found Me**

Fall 19

Mineral Town – The Duke's Castle

7:22PM

It was always like this. Father would throw a luxurious ball—the ladies he had chosen for me lined up; waiting for me to take one of their waiting hands. He wanted me to get married and be the next Duke. And really, it isn't as if I cared about any of that. For nights like these, I've formulated a routine. I would go, then knowing me, I'd decide it was boring and it wasn't worth my time. I'd leave, retire to my quarters or ride out into town, at least until the party is over at the castle. My father didn't notice anything because he is too focused on getting me wed than my person. I stared at the sea of faces in the ballroom. Mineral Town was a sad place; full of wenches and sluts who weren't worth a second look. Occasionally though, there would be this pretty face who would come, with the right morals and all, but boring beyond my mind's comprehension. Women, especially the pretty ones, should have the brain to back them up. This town needs women who aren't merely ornaments; women who were capable of thinking for themselves—that was what this place needed. What I wanted was a woman who had something else on her mind except the latest embroidery pattern. In other words, someone with the charm, intelligence, and wit—but that was a gamble of long odds.

After getting out of my reverie, I doubled back and made my escape using the doors which lead to the east wing of the castle. My younger brother, Skye, was enjoying the company of a sultry wench and was making a bee-line for his chambers. I rolled my eyes. That had to be the seventh one in two weeks. I started to make my way to the balcony. The castle was built on the peak of Mother's Hill, so it had a decent view of the town. As I opened the doors to one of the only peaceful places left inside the castle, I was surprised to see a girl there—she was wearing what seemed to be like a sapphire blue tailcoat with white ruffles at the end of the cuffs, and her slender legs were encased in a white hose, she didn't put her long, strawberry blond hair up. More interesting, was the rapier in her left hand side.

She turned around and her eyes met mine. She had such feminine features—small nose, blue eyes, naturally pink lips… Her blond hair was parted from the left side, a portion of her hair which was shorter than the rest slightly covered her right eye. Her facial expression softened, and her body relaxed. She gave me a tiny smile, and I approached. I knelt in front of her, took her hand and gently kissed it.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight, milady?"

She looked at me and chuckled. "You owe it to my father, Lord Marius von Bielefelt."

Oh, so she was from the Von Bielefelt house! No wonder. Even the women from that house were trained in the art of war, as their manor was located near the border, making them susceptible to enemy attack. Lord Marius must be commended for having such a lovely daughter… though I'm sure this girl is much more skilled than I am with the sword, as much as I'd hate to admit.

She pulled back her hand as I began to stand up. It was a chilly, autumn night, I was surprised that she wasn't getting a chill from all this.

"I believe I don't know your name?" I said, trying to imitate my brother's smooth talking voice; but desperately failing.

"Claire von Bielefelt, eldest daughter of the Von Bielefelt house." She said, but I didn't know what to make of her voice. She was either bored, or preoccupied with something else, but it was full of authority.

"And you? What is your name?" she said, in the same deadpan voice.

"Gray Michael Vincent von Voltaire III, second son of Duke Von Voltaire." I said, trying to mask my surprise. Not only was this the first time that a woman didn't throw herself down at my feet, showering me with praise and offering her company, this was also the first time a woman didn't recognize me! I was having fun. And I was enjoying every second of this. It was new. Exciting. It was… different. It was like nothing I've ever been though before, which, is in itself sort of true because really, no woman in this land--or so I thought, didn't know who I was!

She seemed surprised when I said my name, and immediately, she knelt down.

"I'm sorry for not recognizing you, milord." She said, and lifted her head a bit. "I'm terribly sorry for my insolence."

Wait. It wasn't right for a girl to kneel; even if they were in front of a Lord. She wasn't an ordinary girl… could she have been knighted already? If she had… wait, they don't knight women, do they…? Or are my court laws already out of date? Bah. Whichever came first.

"Rise," I said. "It isn't right for you to do that, milady." I offered her my hand, and helped her up. Her cheeks were tainted pink because of her embarrassment. She smiled gently, and then looked away.

---

I actually got the idea of this from DS Cute's setting. It's set 100 years into the future of More Friends of Mineral Town, but still, all the characters remained the same. Just so you know, Claire's last name is pronounced Bee-lah-felt. So… hallo. It's Le Petite Knight, here with another story. Hopefully, this one is good. I just finished about seven books, and I've got the morale to write (wow, that's raaaaare.) Oh yeah. I know that I've been lazy in some parts here and there, and that this is probably one of the most half-assed fics ever, so I hope you forgive me. ;__;

No, I do not own Harvest Moon. If I did, Gray/Claire would be a cannon. ;D

Reviews are appreciated. Concrit even more so. I don't have a beta-reader, so please excuse any grammar surges or any imperfection in general.

-- LPK.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_Mineral__ Town__ Boarder – Von Bielefelt Manor_

_Aries__ Garden_

_Fall 21 _

_7:31AM_

Clashing swords and breaking of metal can be heard from the Bielefelt Manor's courtyard. On one side, a male, his silky platinum blonde hair glistened in the heat of the sun. He was wearing a long, red, flowing coat, and some sable vest, with a cravat. His blue eyes were exuberant, sweat tickling down his eyebrows. On the other, a woman, who had long, strawberry blonde hair which wasn't done—and deep cerulean-colored eyes. She was wearing a similar looking coat to the man, only hers was black. Her red bodice was accenting her small chest. Her legs encased in long, white stockings. She matched him blow for blow, elegant movements made by both sides made the duel look like a dance, and not a sword fight. It continued on, the battle for dominance was overwhelming, yet neither chose to give up.

"Gill," the girl panted, she was desperate for air.

"Claire." He replied, cordially, as if he wasn't tired. At all.

Ah. Lord Gill Von Bielefelt. He was the second son of the Lord, Marius Von Bielefelt, skilled at the sword, not skilled with the ladies. He often kept to himself in his room, brandishing his sword (as he might never admit) or writing pieces of poetry or continuing with his novel, "Don Juan Triumphant".

"Why not we go for a drink?" Claire asked, sheathing her sword.

Gill's expression softened as he too, sheathed his sword.

Unbeknownst to many people, Gill is really a childish guy.

"You should've said so a while ago~!" Gill said, childishly raising a fist to Claire, who was laughing.

But yes, Gill is a man. A manly, manly man. Kay. No, that isn't sarcasm. Gill is MAAANLY.

Ah yes. Lord Gill and Lady Claire were the closest blood relatives I knew. Most of the others would just kill each other—intentionally—in something like a swordfight which Lord Gill and Lady Claire were having a while ago, and proclaim it was an 'accident'. How enchanting.

"Squire!" I heard Lord Gill calling out to me. I dashed forward to greet the Lady and the Lord, and knelt. It was a custom—I be trained here as a squire then gradually, surely, go up the ranks and be promoted as a Knight. See? And you people call knights lucky? No, they're not. They start off as peons of the Lords, and end up as pawns of war. But that was with other lords. Lord Marius himself handpicked and trained his Knights and the Elite Guard. But they weren't mere pawns of war—they were treated as friends. Now can't you see why the Lord is loved by all his men? You don't meet many like Lord Marius every other King, you know.

"Cliff?" the Lady said, with this puzzled look on her face.

"Yes, milady?" I said, trying to cover my blush.

"Why don't you bring Gill and I both a glass of water?" she said, with a warm smile on her face.

"Yes, milady." I said, getting a nod from Lord Gill as he went and got some shade under the big oak in the middle of the Aries Garden, as the Lady—their mother likes to call it.

I scurried over to the kitchen, where the kitchen maids were idly gossiping about the ball Lady Claire attended around three nights ago.

'I'm sure the Duke's son picked the lady. They would look so… good together!' the eldest kitchen maid, Manna, said.

'But I haven't heard the Lady talking about it at all!' Sasha, the Lady's attendant said sheepishly.

So the lady attended the Ball at the Voltaire's Castle three nights ago, since once again, Duke Von Voltaire was auctioning his son. His son never did pick anyone before though; he would just pronounce them all 'wenches who have nothing more in their heads except the new style for dresses.' which was of course—true and by what I've heard, lately, he's turned down Ladies Mary Hale and Celia Michaelis and told them that if he ever married one of them it'll never work out. Sometimes, it made everyone wonder of his orientation—but he claims that he doesn't want to regret anything.

"Cliff!" I heard the youngest kitchen maid-slash-attendant of Lady Claire, Ann, said and mentioned me to come closer.

"The lady always has water after her duels with Lord Gill," Ann said, handing me two goblets filled almost to the brim. She offered them to me, and I touched her hands whilst taking the goblets, causing the both of us to turn red at almost the same time.

For obvious reasons, the Lord and the Lady always have water and or tea during this time of day, so early in the morning. But who was I to complain? I am but a lowly squire, waiting to be knighted and move up the ranks of the world. Who dare cared for whatever I thought but myself? Why you might ask? Because God wills it. And that's just the 'grown up' alternative for, "Because, life is like that. Shut up and live with it, wench."

"I'm sorry, Ann. Really sorry." I said, bowing, taking the goblets and leaving. It really wasn't gentlemanly, but it had to do for now. No seriously. It had to do. Oh why, yes, I liked Ann. But I know the girl would rather spend time at the chapel with the Goddess, than with me, a lowly squire. Sigh.

I stepped back into the Aries Garden, the Lord and Lady were now joined by another man. I drew closer and saw that it was Lord Chase Blackwell; his father was the oil baron, Lord Duke (yes, that's his name, Duke.) Blackwell. Lord Chase has been on Lady Claire's heels for a while now—it's a goddamn miracle that they aren't together and or married yet. The Lady, as she said, wanted to wait for a man who had something else on his mind but swords, sex, sultry wenches, and rum. Tough luck the Lady was going to find someone like that. The world is tough love, isn't it? You have all these but you still want that. Why can't everyone just be content with what they had and get on with their goddess-be-damned lives? Wait. Why am I cursing my masters? Bad Cliff.

"Claire, milady, would you care to go on a ride?" Lord Chase said. The smooth operator's voice was… disturbing. He extended his hand, offering it to Lady Claire; Lord Chase's fiery orange hair was made to look like real fire in the sunlight. It almost seemed like the man caught fire, which would've been the sight of the century. I chuckled inwardly, as I carefully handed the Lord and the Lady the drinks they asked for.

The Lady faced me and smiled, "Thank you, Cliff." She drank from the goblet and let out a sigh of refreshment. "Cliff," she started. "How is your sword training?" And suddenly, I feel both other men shoot daggers at me with their eyes.

"It's going well, milady." I said, trying to maintain eye contact. A knight had to operate well under pressure; though it wasn't helping that the two Lords were eying on me like this.

"I sure hope you get knighted soon, Cliff." The Lady said, smiling. "We need competent ones like you."

The Lady sure knew how to push a man's buttons.

----

So lol, hai. Today, January 18 is my birthday, so I'm updating as a gift to you guys. I'm sorry if it's kinda lame, because well, it was done on a whim and I was on a sugar-rush, so yeah. I wrote this in the squire's point of view for the lolz, actually. Next chapter's once again done in Gray's POV, then maybe Claire's or Chase's.

I hope you enjoyed it,

Reese / Le Petite Knight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Mineral__ Town__ – The Duke's Castle_

_Lord Gray's Quarters_

_Fall 21_

_9:22AM_

Not a day has passed that I haven't thought of Claire since that night. I've even considered riding to the Lord's Manor and paying her a visit, but I fear I might be pushing my luck with that. I sigh. I've taken to writing a her a letter, maybe an exchange of those would lead to something and I wouldn't feel so awkward about visiting her, but I couldn't write anything decent. Poetry, letters and novels came so easily to me before—but now I feel as if I've lost my muse. Heh. I knock the parchment and ink away from my desk, this was getting frustrating. I rested my chin on my intertwined fingers, hoping to get an answer which was clear as day, not that it really mattered anymore. I already knew the answer. The answer was Claire. How stupid was I to think it wasn't. That the answer would just magically—

"Brother!" Skye's voice shouted excitedly as he furiously banged on my door.

…appear before me on a silver platter.

I tried to ignore the barbaric knocking, but the man just refused to stop shitting me. Sometimes, I hated my brother. Sometimes I didn't. Well, I hated him more than I didn't. Don't get me wrong. Skye was lovable. Skye was scarily lovable. People were always drawn to him—but I'm his brother and it's only natural that I have this… love-hate relationship with the man. The outrageous knocking didn't stop, and I figured that Skye wouldn't let me off the hook if I just ignored him and everything about his annoying little self, which was pretty much tempting.

"Brother, if you don't answer the door, I'll be forced to knock it down." Skye said, apparently, he was threatening his older brother now. Oh the agony. I got up from my chair, and painstakingly opened the door to his… well, I wouldn't know what to call it. Annoying cheerfulness, perhaps? I'm not really too sure. After all, he's my brother and I should be used to him by now, but Skye really isn't the type anyone got used to in just eighteen years. No, I am damned serious.

"What do you want now?" I asked him, hoping he'd give me a one word answer and be done with it.

"What you want as well." Skye said with this… well, it was pretty much a maniacal grin—not that I really cared. That was the part of Skye which was easy to get used to, the maniacal grin. Oh, and the sultry wenches every other night too, though it was a bloody miracle I got used to that. I tried to suppress a laugh.

"What could you, possibly have that will interest me?" I scoffed, going into my room and taking the goblet filled with water to my lips.

"I'm going to the Bielefelt's manor today."

And I nearly chocked on water.

"You're what?" I said, recovering from his last statement.

"You heard me," he said, laughing now. "I'm going to Lord Marius Von Bielefelt's manor."

See? This is why I hated my brother more than I loved him. He was an insufferably annoying, piece of horse dung. Sometimes I wonder how I even put up with him.

"Goddess above, Skye!" I said, annoyed even more now. "What could you possibly want there?"

"Do you know their youngest daughter?" Skye said, I couldn't put a finger on his tone or expression though. Could it be he was actually embarrassed? Wait. Skye? Embarrassed? Those two words don't normally go in the same sentence. Skye had charisma. Skye had confidence. Skye was Skye! Such is the power of women, I now know and realized.

"Lady Karen?" I said, trying to pretend that I actually knew the person I mentioned.

"Yeah. Her." Skye said, looking away from me now, but I could see that faint touch of pink in his cheeks.

Wait a second, I said the right name? Gray, you're a genius. But wait another second. How did Skye know that I wanted something from the Bielefelt's manor? It wasn't as if I was in ANY kind of insane to even tell him that I… what's the word for it? Like? Yeah. Maybe I'm just infatuated. Maybe. But maybe, the moment I see her, it'll confirm my feelings. Maybe. Just, maybe.

"Will you accompany me or not?" Skye said, a bit forcefully this time.

I counted my options. First, I might actually get to spend sometime with dear Claire. Second, I could visit the Lord and be in good spirits with him. Third, Skye gets to see his lady love. Everyone wins, right? Riiiight?!

Right.

"Ready four of our best men. I bet you know who they are." I said, smiling at my brother, pretending to be innocent. "We ride in an hour."

Skye's face lit up. He nodded, the practically ran. I sighed, and plopped into bed. The door was still open, but I've no want to close it. No, not yet. Skye might return and knock. Again.

"So, you finally found someone, Gray?"

My eyes shot open, and I found my mother sitting on my bed, looking at me as if I had achieved something that threw off all of my brother and my father's achievements put together. I looked at her with my best puzzled look, and she sighed.

"Seems like it was only yesterday when you and Skye were running around the castle halls with nothing on your minds but freedom…"

Oh no. Mother's reminiscing. Again.

"I hope she finds it in her heart to love you as well, darling."

I looked at my mother. I really was confused. All that was related to love and physical pleasure was… uncharted territory for me. I didn't really understand what she was saying, so instead, I listened.

"Now that you've found her, don't ever let her go." My mother said, putting her hand on my head. With that, my mother got up and left me alone to think of everything she just said.

I wasn't even close to reflecting when my brother barged into my room again.

"Brother, Kurt, Alex and Trent are ready. All we need is you and your word. Can we please go now?" He said, obviously getting impatient. I got up, steadied myself, and grabbed my sword.

"Let's go."

---

Hello again, guys. I hope you liked Chapter three. I'm working on chapter four, and I'll have it up soon. Thank you for all the positive reviews, you all make writing worthwhile. But I'm not gonna bribe you guys for reviews. Review as you like. It makes me want to write better.

Thanks again! :D

-- LPK // Reese.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Mineral__ Town__ Boarder - Bielefelt Manor_

_The Stables_

_Fall 21_

_9:48AM_

Ah. It was refreshing to be once again, with Claire. I found myself in Waffle Town until a few days ago; one of Lords there who was a friend of my father was caught up in a spat, apparently. I, Chase Blackwell, with all modesty, led our troops to battle there. Why? Because my father wills it. I always thought that fighting was distasteful. I mean really. It was barbaric, tiring, and so… unneeded. Why fight when you can curl up and read a book, and or spend time with an amazing woman like Claire? Just so you know, I never really liked the idea of training with a sword—but the men of this century were expected to at least know how to wield one.

I followed dear Claire to the stables; she was getting her horse for the ride I proposed a while ago. It's a goddess-be-damned miracle she even agreed to it. She usually said, "no," or "I'm too tired." That's probably one of the many reasons I like her. She had her own mind and will—she didn't just agree to what anyone said or anyone did—unlike most of the other women I knew. I've thought of proposing to Claire for the longest time now—but someone like her who loved the thrill of sword fighting and battling—and I who expressed a clear dislike for it, I'm not so sure she'd say yes; because I bet she knew I'd do anything to keep her away from a weapon and a battlefield.

Claire walked over to the third stall, where her horse, Luna was at. Luna was a warhorse. She was huge and had unblemished white skin, and this crescent-shaped mark on her forehead—which was the real reason for Claire naming her Luna. My horse, Shadow, was in the fifth stall. Apparently, the bloody squire put him there when I specifically instructed Shadow to be placed in the fourth stall. Why? For obvious reasons. Brushing elbows with Claire… a possibly romantic encounter… wait. Why am I the one daydreaming?

"Chase?" She asked me, a puzzled look on her face. Apparently, it was obvious I was in a daze.

"Yes?" I answered her, pretending to be stroking Shadow's nose.

"Have you…" she asked, she was a little red on the cheeks—but I'm a dense man. I haven't the slightest idea what to think.

"Have I what?" I asked her, chuckling a little in a desperate attempt to make her feel comfortable.

"…met the Duke's son?" she asked, and now I've officially lost all hope with this woman. OK, maybe not. Gray Von Voltaire wasn't anything special—except for the fact that he was the Duke's son and that… well, even though it pains me to admit, he was pretty good at painting and writing. I've never seen him holding a sword though—so I presume he's not so good with one. I hope. Gray Michael Vincent Von Voltaire was also my best friend. See? I call him my friend and yet I've never seen him with a sword. What kind of friend am I? The answer to that question is, a good one. Gray is the son of the Duke. He shouldn't even be seen on a battlefield. As the son of a Lord, it's my job to stop invaders before they even reach the Duke's castle. But even then, I'm not always around. I get sent on a lot of trips because the Duke seems to be fond of tormenting me. That or the Duke just proclaims me to be the kind of son he never had. Whatever that meant. I'm pretty much contented with my own father. And I didn't need the Duke.

"Gray?" I tried asking casually, though I knew I couldn't hide the insecurity in my voice.

"Yeah. Him." And for the first time ever, I saw Claire Louise Von Bielefelt blush.

Claire mounted her horse, and following her lead, I did too. We rode until the gates, then the 'bloody squire' came rushing at us. The 'bloody squire' seemed to be excited—nothing bad seemed to be happening. He was… running with all speed humanly possible… for what? Well I wouldn't know. I'm no mind reader, thanks. Though I wish I was, sometimes. Maybe that way I'd know if I had any sort of chance with Claire.

"Lord Chase! Lady Claire!" he screamed like no tomorrow. Great, why now of all times? Now when I finally score a horseback riding date with dear, sweet Claire? The goddess must truly hate me. What have I done wrong to the Harvest God-be-damned Harvest Goddess?! I don't think I've done anything to make her hate me this much. Maybe it's not the Goddess. Maybe it's just my life. Life is a distasteful, moronic bitch who loves bitching us in the worst ways possible.

"Cliff!" Claire said, not dismounting her horse, but driving Luna in such a way that she was facing Cliff, the 'bloody squire', now.

"Milady! You have a visitor!" Cliff exclaimed, as if he just saw the Harvest God at the doors and all that bloody crap.

"Who is it?" Claire asked, looking a bit bored. I could tell she wanted to start riding, which would've been a good thing.

"Lord Gray, milady." Cliff said. "The son of the Duke."

Remember what I told you about life being a distasteful bitch? Well apparently, I'm once again, right.

---

I am so sorry if this is half-assed. I just seem a little uninspired because I saw something on Facebook that really got me down today. I took to writing, so maybe what I wrote up there will give you an idea on what happened to me. God, I just feel so bad right now. I'm sorry for the emo rant too. ;__;

- LPK / Reese


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_Mineral__ Town__ Boarder – Bielefelt Manor_

_Hallways_

_Fall 21_

_11:11AM_

I'm going to have to admit this. I now hate Gray Michael Vincent Von Voltaire with a fiery passion. God knows why he must _always_ be on my case. I remember when we were children, we used to play a lot around town—hide and seek and all those frivolous childish games. Well, I used to think they were cool… but I was a child then. What did I care about the 'frivolous'? When we were younger, being the son of the Duke, Gray usually got what he wanted. It was as if his word was law—after all, Gray was the Duke's eldest son, and he would most probably ascend the Duke's throne, and who am I? The son of a mere Lord. No where in league with Gray in terms of rank. But if there was one thing in this world that I would rather not see Gray have, it's Claire.

I've loved that woman since we were kids. And where was Gray that time? He was with Lady Chelsea, may she rest in peace. That's right. Gray was in love with Lady Chelsea Alcott, eldest daughter of Lord Winston Alcott. They were childhood friends turned lovers—like something you see only in plays or operas. Lady Chelsea died in an ambush whilst she was with her father, hunting. Chelsea's bloodline was now deteriorating—her brother, Benjamin "Jack" Alcott was killed by some unknown assassin, though it was rumored that he was ordered to be killed by his own wife—Lady Elli. For what reason? The family fortune, obviously. Jack was the only son and he was left with millions in gold by the Lord. Lady Elli was merely a sultry wench with no real bloodline. Enough of that though. He lost Lady Chelsea. Now he plans on replacing the Lady with Lady Claire. No way in hell am I going to allow that.

"Chase?" The lady said, almost endearingly.

"Milady?" I said, but I could never hide the insecurity I felt. The man was in the same area. It just made my blood boil.

"Shall we go together?" She smiles. If there was one thing in this world that can stop me from world domination or whatever the hell I would plan, that was Lady Claire and her oh so Goddess-be-damned sweet smile. It just made me weak in the knees, it did. God.

She dismounted her horse, giving Luna a quick stroke on her nose, and led the massive warhorse into her stall. With Shadow, there was no need for ever showering the horse with love. He understood. I led the horse into the stall next to Luna's, and I walked alongside Lady Claire back into the manor.

Lords Gill and Will were in the foyer greeting their guests as Claire and I arrived from the stables. I always thought it was funny how their names rhymed and how their birth order was. Will was the first born into this family, followed by Gill, fifteen minutes later. See, Lords Gill and Will are fraternal twins. The only real difference between them was Lord Will was great with the Ladies, and Lord Gill would rather keep to himself. They were, of course, followed by Claire. I was so sure that Lord Marius was running out of names—when he finally had a baby girl. I bet he was so happy he gave her two names. Claire Louise. I was surprised though—if Lord Marius wanted to make his children's names rhyme, I am sure that Claire would be named Jill. Think about it. Will, Gill, Jill… and that leaves Lady Karen. What would her name be? Vill… Pill… Mill… Sill… Bill… wait, what am I doing? Oh God back to topic please.

Gray was clad in white; his coat was embroidered with gold thread and his messy blonde hair was… well, messy as always. His brother Skye was always something different. Skye was wearing a red coat with a blue vest underneath. His cravat was white, and his long, silver hair was flowing. I've always wondered what he did to make it silver. I don't think it had anything to do with his family though—I don't remember Auntie or the Duke having silver hair. He dyed it, probably.

"Lord Skye?!" a voice from the stairs echoed, followed by frantic running. Ah, Lady Karen was interested in the Lord. No wonder why he's here. But wait, wasn't Skye the type to get into the company of sultry wenches every now and then? Wait, scratch that. This, was the real power of women. They had the power to keep us from our vices, the power to keep us on a leash, then what? They bat their eyelashes and we're wrapped around their tiny little fingers. Isn't that convenient?

"Lady Karen!" The man exclaimed, arms outstretched. Oh God, I could feel the orgie coming. I rolled my eyes. The Lady practically threw herself to Skye and hugged him, the man was actually blushing like I've never seen before. Wait, I never did see before. To Skye, women were merely tools of pleasure. Maybe he'd seen something in Lady Karen that made him rethink that—or maybe she was better company than any of the other wenches he's been with. I don't know and I don't intend to find out.

"Lords Gill and Will," Skye said, formally. "I'd like to go on a ride with Lady Karen here, if that was OK with the both of you."

Gill and Will laughed. "Karen does whatever she wants." Will said, laughing. "I don't think you'll ever need our permission to do anything."

"That woman would try to kill us in our sleep should we do anything that displeased her." Gill said, laughing. "and I bet she'd do that with you too, so by all means, please, if you value your life, don't make her angry." Gill and Will were laughing so hard at this point, they were at tears. Karen was flustered, giving her two brothers the evil eye before she turned with Skye to where me and Claire entered from, going to the stables.

Gray was staring intensely at Claire, I could almost feel daggers. Claire's older brothers were looking at the both of us; their smile later turned into a sly smirk as Gill and Will parted ways and put their hands on Gray's and my shoulders.

"You like our baby sister, don't you?" they both said in unison. My cheeks were tinted red now—and I could tell Gray's were too.

"You know what?" Gill said, turning to Will.

"We could make this fuuuun~ 3" they both said, once again in complete unison.

Oh no. Fun to the twins usually meant world domination, torture, and or the possible one way ticket to the torture chamber. Yes, these to were diabolical and evil. Kay.

"Gill! Will!" Claire said, intervening for us. I sigh in relief.

"C'mon Claire. Let us have our fun. You had yours." Will said, laughing.

"Why I never…!" Claire said, pouting.

It was really hard to believe all of them were siblings. No, I'm damn serious.

"Let's make this a contest. Whoever wins, wins our younger sister." Gill declared.

I was so sure Claire didn't have a choice in the matter. She just mouthed the words, "I'm sorry.", and kept quiet. Oh well, the twins sure did know how to make things interesting.

---

Thank you, thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I'm sorry for confusing LavaRose though, both this chapter and the last chapter were told in Chase's point of view. JSYK, Chase if from Tree of Tranquility, and so is Gill. Will is from Sunshine Islands. xD

Thanks for reading! Until the next chapter.

LPK // Reese


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_Mineral__ Town__ Boarder – Von Bielefelt Manor_

_Courtyard_

_Fall 21_

_1:33PM_

Enchanting! Simply enchanting! Two lords fighting over our baby sister! It was like something you'd only see in romance novels and operas! How she won their hearts, we will never know, and I dare not ask. Will was obviously up for all this — he always enjoyed tormenting whoever suitor Claire had. Will had a really soft spot for our little sister, it seems. Will enjoyed Claire's company — in a non-sexual way, of course, which is why Will is quite protective of her. When we were younger; I remember Claire being in the way of a rabid horse which was galloping at top speed for some reason — it was said, however, that one of our squires angered the horse, which is a very likely story — dear Claire was petrified, she wasn't able to move when Will ran in and shoved her out of the way. The poor girl cried for hours, but Will was patient with her and comforted her; though the man wasn't patient with things like that.

Will hated to see women cry, especially our sisters. Will flashed me a sly smile, and let go of Gray's shoulders. I usually just went along with his schemes, they were always entertaining. Chase used to be the only one buying for Claire's hand; and now that the Duke's son had joined along, Will seemed determined to annoy the living daylights of out them. However, my twin did a lot of things that made all our lives entertaining, especially when does whatever he plans to these feculent maggots, it was almost godlike.

"Listen up!" he said, finally unleashing whatever fun side he had—however I could tell that whatever he had planned wasn't anything to celebrate about for the two midgets, ahem, Lords.

"If both of you want our sister so much, why not we play a series of games? The one who wins, wins her heart." He declared.

Chase winced. Gray flinched. Claire moaned out of annoyance. Will wasn't even doing anything yet, and he already has people annoyed. Wow. I bow down to his… humor. And yes, I meant that sarcastically. I loved every second of this. This job had to be the crappiest paying job of all jobs ever created — and by job I meant putting up with my twin — but it was worth it. All the crazy antics, all the schemes, all the madness, it was genius.

"Will, there is absolutely no—" Claire started, but Chase cut in.

"I'm in." he said, not flinching. He looked serious, but it was also apparent that he was nervous. The man wasn't acting like himself, his impulsiveness and his determination reminded me of someone, someone I prefer unnamed for now. It's the best thing to do — again, for now. I wouldn't want to see Claire that way ever again. Ever. As her brother, I felt for her, but then again, I wasn't her, so I couldn't possibly know how she felt that time. She didn't smile for days, at least until Chase's never ending antics got her to smile. I couldn't see how she didn't fall for him; he was always there for her. It's true. Whenever she needed him, he'd be there. Whenever she wanted him to be there, he never gave a damn what he was doing and just came over to the manor. Chase would never vocally express it, but it was pretty obvious that he liked Claire. Wait, not liked. It's practically 'worshipped', but let's make that into a much more… light term. He loved Claire, plain and simple.

My sister was a dense woman. The answer could come to her straight in the face, and yet she still doesn't notice. We all know Claire only wants someone who would look after her, talk to her whenever she needed, keep her in loving company… basically, someone who made her feel wanted. She had the goddamned person in front of her, and yet she didn't do anything about it. Sometimes, I felt for the man.

And there's Gray. Who the hell was he? Oh yeah. He's the Duke's son, born with a silver spoon in his little mouth, and probably, has never even wielded a sword before — after all, our family did all the work in keeping possible invaders away from the castle. It is the Bielefelts who are in the front lines, who risk our lives just to keep them safe, whoever they are. Personally, I haven't met the man since a few days ago, at that ball. The same ball I knew that he and my sister would meet — though I didn't expect she was his type.

"I… I'm in." Gray said, succumbing to pressure? I don't know. And again, I don't intend to find out. But I didn't really care. This only meant one thing.

"The games are on then." Will declared, smiling slyly. Will circled the foyer, and went into an abrupt halt. He faced the two men, and laughed maniacally.

"Anyway," he said as he stopped laughing. "I'm not gonna tell you two to knock each others brains out in a fist fight, nor am I going to let you kill each other in a swordfight — for now."

He moved around again. "The rules are simple," he explained, the look of pure amusement never leaving his face for a second. "Three rounds, best two out of three wins. Winner gets Claire darling." He practically hissed when he said, 'Claire darling', like a possessive lion eying on whatever it was that went near its cubs. Will might not look like it, but he was possessive, aggressive, and impulsive under that guise of being 'cool and collected'.

I snorted. What was a game to decide what the fate of our little sister was? Exactly. A game was a game. Nothing more, nothing less. How it will turn out? With these two, I can never tell. I've seen Chase before, the man was a demon with a sword and a horse, but he never really fared well in writing. Gray… I've heard he was a great painter and writer, but how did he fare with a sword? Hmph. I'd rather see my sister at the bottom of the ocean than with a man who could not defend himself. Plain and simple.

"The first round begins tomorrow. I expect to see you alive and happy then." Will said, turning his heel. "Till then, Claire's suitors. – he snorts – good luck, and may the best man win." He said, murmuring to himself about 'torture' and 'chainsaws' and the like.

Chase turned to face Claire. "I'm not gonna lose, milady." He said, confidently. "Not in this lifetime." Gray rolled his eyes. Was it just me, or was the man in love with someone he barely even knew? Oh the drama.

---

Let me explain. I really don't have anything against Elli, but I wanted to portray her in a way that she wasn't before, so I made her a power-hungry wife of a Lord who would do anything for the loot. Yes, I do mean 'gold digger' here. Ahem, carrying on. No, I do not plan on them to kill each other, believe me on that one. Thank you for all your awesomeness, my dear readers. I hope I could continue to keep your interest in this fanfiction. Thank you especially to airtrafficstreams, MarianFontz, Mihakaku, and all you wonderful people who take time to read this. It's much appreciated, really.

Signing off,  
Reese / Le Petite Knight

PS: I do apologize if this is quite short, it was done on impulse and I really should be finishing a report now, yeah. I'm also thinking about changing this story's name. I'm leaving a poll in my profile for you guys to help me decide. Thanks.


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